Jai Guru Deva, Om

[Donk Yore]

Guru Deva, actually it is Guru Dev, is invoked in the song because he was the Maharishi's teacher. He is an actual person, and they invoked him in their meditation every day. The name actually has meaning in itself. A Guru is a teacher, or spiritual leader of sorts. Dev, according to some other sites I went to, means god or heavenly one. As stated, Maharishi's actual teacher's name was Guru Dev. John Lennon appeared to take the liberty adding the "a"on the end. Jai means, and there are several meanings I have for this, "I give hope, or thanks to", this I was told, but some sites say it means, "victory" or "salutations". Om, is probaby the easiest part to explain. Om is believed to be the natural vibration of the universe. Hence, when many meditate, they make the "ooohhhmmmm" sound. They are trying to bring in that vibration of the universe.

So all together it means, "I give thanks (victory) (salutation) to Guru Dev (or heavenly teacher), om".
I have recently received an email with an alternate interpretation I thought I would share with all of you. This comes from Greg:

I studied to be a Yogic monk in my youth. I can give you a
better translation.Firstly although the words Guru Diva are the name of Maharishis teacher. Gurus names are often aspects of God almost without exception. This phrase is not so much a homage to Maharishi teacher, its more of praise to God. Remember that Guru also translates as God / Brahma and not just any human teacher. Your thinking of humans, think more broader of the deeper spiritual message. During his immersion in eastern thought his lyrics would have reflected the deeper spiritual sentiment and not just ode to the teachers teacher.
All said here is a better translation.

Jai Guru Deva OM
Victory to God Devine OM

Om cannot easily be translated as a single English word. It is used as the most sacred word in Indian thought. It represents the birth growth and death of the Cosmos. It is also the Vibration / sound of the Cosmos literaly.If you could step outside the Universe and listen to it that is what you would hear. The Yogis hear this in deep meditation. One way of thinking of OM would be Alpha-Omega. From OM all the English words like Omniscience, Omnipresence are derived from. Deva means Divine , this is where the English word divinity comes from. Do you see the Sanskrit roots that have shaped our English words?

[derby378]

1. No offense, but doesn't this belong in the Religion forum?

:shrug:

[Donk Yore]

4. hope says

not

[liberalhistorian]

5. It's about the Beatles song "Across the Universe",

which NASA has chosen to beam "across the universe", so it belongs here. Although, to the OP, I will say that you need to be a bit more explanatory in the beginning for those who don't know that this is the chorus to Across the Universe. It's kinda annoying when people just begin posts assuming that everyone in the, well, universe, is gonna know what they're talking about.

[thunder rising]

2. Is that like Harry Krishna

[newmajority]

3. Lyrically, it's gotta be one of Lennon's best

And I thought so even before I knew what "Jai Guru Deva OM" meant

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbirjVeI_Pk

[Glorfindel]

6. Thank you. Coincidentally, I just watched "Across the Universe"

a very good (but flawed) film featuring the Beatles' music and a fictional treatment of the mid-to-late 60's/early 70's. Or maybe there really are no coincidences. Namaste!

[conscious evolution]

7. Om

Very powerful sound.
The first time I heard a group doing it I felt the kundalini rise immediately.
Funny how a simple sound can have so much power.